Left Brain / Right Brain
Nielsen and colleagues (2013) studied brain scans of 1,011 children and young adults. Across the whole brain, their data did not fit "left-brained" or "right-brained" people. We could read only that study's summary. We do not sort children into "left-brained" and "right-brained" types. In our view, the useful question is which skill is not built yet.
TL;DR
- Some people think a child is either "left-brained" or "right-brained" in how they think. Nielsen and colleagues (2013) studied brain scans of 1,011 children and young adults. Across the whole brain, their data did not fit "left-brained" or "right-brained" people. We could read only that study's summary.
- Dekker and colleagues (2012) surveyed 242 teachers in the UK and the Netherlands. The survey asked about ideas its authors call myths about the brain. The left-brain, right-brain idea was one of them. The survey measured what teachers believed, not what is true. We could read only its summary.
- We hold no study that tests teaching made for a "right-brained" child. We do not sort children into "left-brained" and "right-brained" types. We cover the learning styles idea on a page of its own.
- In our view, your child's strengths are their own. Notice what your child is good at. That needs no label. Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child.
- In our view, the useful question is which skill is not built yet. Which one should come first? Our position is that this is a question of order, not of brain type.
What the idea says
Some people think one side of the brain is in charge in each person. On that idea, a person is either "left-brained" or "right-brained" in how they think.
What a brain-scan study found
Nielsen and colleagues (2013) studied brain scans of 1,011 children and young adults. Across the whole brain, their data did not fit "left-brained" or "right-brained" people. We could read only that study's summary.
Our page on the reading brain covers one study of left-side activity in reading.
What one survey of teachers asked
Dekker and colleagues (2012) surveyed 242 teachers in the UK and the Netherlands. The survey asked about ideas its authors call myths about the brain. The left-brain, right-brain idea was one of them. The survey measured what teachers believed, not what is true. We could read only its summary.
"Right-brain" teaching methods
We hold no study that tests teaching made for a "right-brained" child. We do not sort children into "left-brained" and "right-brained" types. We cover the learning styles idea on a page of its own.
Showing material in more than one form is fine for every child.
The question we ask instead
Our question is a different one. Which skill is not built yet? Which one should come first? Our position is that this is a question of order, not of brain type.
Your child's strengths
In our view, your child's strengths are their own. Notice what your child is good at. That needs no label.
Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Schoolwork well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about learning.
- Extreme upset about schoolwork.
- Complete avoidance of school or learning.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
In our view, describe the work, not the brain. Note which step went wrong.
Two sentences for an email home: "In class, I watch which step of the work goes wrong. Which part looks hard at home?"
Pick one piece of schoolwork your child finds hard. Notice which step goes wrong. Write that step down, and share it with whoever teaches your child.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
An overview of processing skills. Our work on each runs alongside reading, spelling or math instruction, not in place of it.
Common questions from parents
Is my child right-brained?
Nielsen and colleagues (2013) studied brain scans of 1,011 children and young adults. Across the whole brain, their data did not fit "left-brained" or "right-brained" people. We could read only that study's summary. We do not sort children into "left-brained" and "right-brained" types. In our view, your child's strengths are their own.
Are there teaching methods for a right-brained child?
We hold no study that tests teaching made for a "right-brained" child. We do not sort children into "left-brained" and "right-brained" types. In our view, the useful question is which skill is not built yet. We cover the learning styles idea on a page of its own.
Is "left brain, right brain" learning real?
Nielsen and colleagues (2013) studied brain scans of 1,011 children and young adults. Across the whole brain, their data did not fit "left-brained" or "right-brained" people. We could read only that study's summary. We hold no study that tests teaching made for a "right-brained" child. We do not sort children into "left-brained" and "right-brained" types.